Centauri and Sangre de Cristo still perfect

(VC/Jiron)

Boys basketball in the valley has been playing very well. Of the 3 classes that SLV teams receiving votes in the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) Coaches Poll two are undefeated. There is still plenty of league basketball ahead and plenty of time for unranked teams to improve their position.

3A – Intermountain League (IML)

6. Centauri (11-0) – 100

A season ago the Falcons entered the IML district tournament as the No. 1 seed. After their first-round bye, Alamosa handed them a tournament loss and Centauri wound up settling for third place with a victory over Bayfield.

The Falcons and Alamosa both made the state tournament but were forced to play on the road. The lone IML team to advance to the Great 8 in Denver was Montezuma-Cortez. The Panthers were quickly ushered out by Sterling in the first round of the Great 8. This is a testament to how competitive the 3A class is.

Centauri holds an undefeated record and has won multiple tournaments and they got two coaches placing them as the strongest team in the class. And yet they find themselves sitting at the No. 6 spot with 100 points.

Through 3 recorded games, Centauri is led in scoring by junior Trey Crowther. As the lone ranked team from the IML, entering their league schedule should only stand to help the Falcons. They will get a chance to assert their dominance over the second-highest ranked IML team in Montezuma-Cortez (8-3, 2-0 IML) this weekend. Cortez took the district title last year with a 50-48 victory over Alamosa.

The Panthers edged last year’s series with Centauri 3-2 thanks to a state tournament win last March.

Centauri will face host Bayfield (1-10, 0-2 IML) on Friday before welcoming the defending district champions, Cortez, on Saturday, Jan. 25.

2A – Southern Peaks League (SPL)

Receiving Votes. Sanford (7-3) – 16

The lone team from 2A to receive rankings in the CHSAA coaches poll was Sanford. With 16 points in Monday’s poll, Sanford missed the top ten by 9 points. But there is plenty of upside moving forward.

Sanford has been fighting above their weight class these past few months and their three losses have all happened in the 3A class. Now, with the hardest part of the season out of the way Sanford is free to begin climbing the rankings. Sanford’s first game against a fellow Southern Peaks Leaguer happened on Saturday against Crested Butte (7-2). Sanford handed the Titans their second loss of the season in a one-sided 50-28 game.

Aside from Sanford and Crested Butte the rest of the SPL combines for an overall record of 11-16. Sanford will likely be through the most competitive part of their league schedule this weekend.  Sanford will be working through back-to-back road league games. Friday Sanford will be visiting Center (6-3, 1-0 SPL) then they will be in Sargent (3-6, 1-1 SPL) on Saturday the 25th.

Sanford’s league designated rematch with Crested Butte on Feb. 8th may be the game to decide top seeding for the district tournament this spring.

1A – Southern Peaks League (SPL)

3. Sangre de Cristo (8-0) – 62

With one of the top scorers in the state, Sangre de Cristo has been staying the course. The T-Birds are still perfect thus far in the season and are being given their due in the rankings.

Sangre de Cristo is ranked third overall in class 1A collecting 62 points. The No. 1 spot still belongs to the defending state champions De Beque who also garnered the majority of the first overall rankings (8) relenting one to Kit Carson.

Sangre de Cristo is down a spot from last week, the No. 2 spot going to Flatirons Academy who have gone from unranked to second in the class.

Leading the T-Birds in scoring is Cole Christensen who is 13th in the state posting 24.6 points per game.

Sangre de Cristo will look to stay perfect as they transition into their league schedule. The T-Birds are the line team in the district sporting a winning record. This weekend they’ll be in for two league games. The first at home against Cotopaxi on the 24th the second on the road against Antonito on the 25th.


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